In Hot Water
by freshia
Summary: A thief wanders into a small town, and ends up stealing a lot more than a few jewels. Thief!Eren Cop!Rivaille; AU.
1. The Thief

_They say that if you drop a frog into boiling hot water, they'll jump out, but if you gradually turn the heat up higher and higher they don't notice until it's too late, effectively boiling themselves to death._

_Eren ponders this as that cop (no, _Rivaille_, he corrects himself, and then wonders again about just how deep in he is) bites into his shoulder, earning a moan from the younger man._

_How did this happen again?_

x

Eren sighs and rolls his neck as he drives into the hotel parking lot, glancing around at the town he had just driven into. Some tiny little dot on the east coast, a place that was probably more of a pit-stop to by-passers than somewhere to stay.

He had picked the place randomly, circling it on the map mostly based on it's proximity to a beach. It was inconspicuous enough, and would probably be fine for the week or two he had planned on staying.

Small places seemed to work the best, he noticed. When you lived in a smaller community, everyone knew everybody and there was a higher trust level all-around. Easier to find unlocked doors, which made his job _considerably_ simpler.

He flipped his wallet open, checking how much money he had before he went to go check in at the hotel. Definitely more than enough to live here for a while, thanks to his last excursion. Either that grandma was richer than he thought or that pawn shop really gave him a good deal.

He shook his head. It didn't matter now, the jewels were sold and Eren was long gone.

Such was the life of a thief.

Flashing his fake ID at the hotel receptionist as she typed in a few numbers, he took the key card she handed to him and went to check out his new room.

He walked down the hotel hallway, noticing the tacky green wallpaper that was plastered everywhere. Just who designed these places?

Thankfully, the awful wallpaper was replaced by cream-colored walls in the actual hotel rooms. The first thing Eren noticed besides the walls was how simple the room looked. Nothing too fancy, a decent-sized bed in the middle with a small TV sitting on a dresser in front of it. Next to the window on the other side of the room was an uncomfortable-looking chair that matched the brown drapes.

It was perfect for what he wanted. He never got expensive hotel rooms - that was money better spent on food and things to survive, or even more importantly, to send back home to Mikasa.

Mikasa. His little sister, who had gone through so much chemo that they'd be paying the bills forever. He was grateful she was a survivor, but his parents could never cover the costs all by themselves.

He made phonecalls home a lot.

Eren fell backwards onto the bed, letting out a sigh. It had been a long trip, from the last spot he had hit to here, and he was glad to finally be able to stop and get some rest. He rolled over onto his side, kicking off his shoes haphazardly and closing his eyes. Things like exploring the small town and taking showers could wait until he woke up.

x

As it turned out, this town was a _lot_ smaller than Eren had thought at first.

It was evident in the way that he kept running into people that he had seen already. More alarmingly, how he kept running into the same _cop_ everywhere he went. The first time, literally, as he almost spilled hot coffee onto the shorter man. It was probably just the fact that he was so wary of police officers, but the man's face stuck out in his mind. He looked like he was perpetually scowling, his features sharply defined. He wasn't unattractive, but...

Eren frowned at where his own train of thought was headed. Nevermind his looks, he should be worried about how out of the 5 places he visited, the shorter man had appeared in _four_ of them. The coffeeshop, the beach, the bookstore (hey, even thieves had to have some way to pass the time), and now the grocery store.

It was really putting Eren on edge, and it showed.

"There something wrong with you, kid?"

And for the first time, the man spoke. Eren froze at the voice. He could talk to normal people fine, but no matter what he found it hard to act natural around members of the police force. He swallowed.

"N-No, sir." he replied, hand still on the can of green beans resting on the store shelf. "Just shopping."

The officer's eyes narrowed. "I've been seeing a lot of you, but I don't recognize you. You from out of town? What's your name?"

Eren nodded. "I'm a traveling artist. Photographer." Not exactly a lie. He did take a lot of pictures when he was out. "My name's Ere- Uh...min." _Smooth_.

"Ere-uh-min?" the other man quirked his eyebrow, and Eren backpedaled. Not good.

"Eremin. It's Italian." He mentally slapped himself for merging his childhood friend's name and his own. If only he could have recalled the name on his fake ID fast enough.

The officer seemed unconvinced, but turned back to the shelf anyway. Picking up a can of corn, he then brushed past Eren, who pretended to be thoroughly fascinated with the label on the canned vegetable he was holding.

"Well, _Eremin_, I'm Rivaille and as long as you stay out of trouble, we won't have any problems."

Eren watched as the shorter man disappeared into the next aisle, gently hitting his head against the shelf was he was out of sight. "Stupid, stupid, stupid..."

x

It was near impossible to avoid the other man, no matter where he went. Not that there were that many places to hit up in a town as dinky as this one. Eren quickly memorized the cop-car and it's address plate, making sure to avoid at all costs any places he knew Rivaille was. But still, it was like they were destined to meet, because if Rivaille wasn't at a place before Eren, he was there not too long after. He wasn't sure if he was being stalked, or if he was accidentally stalking the other, but either way he was sufficiently creeped out.

He thought about locking himself up in his hotel room, a place where Rivaille definitely wasn't at, but he couldn't spend all of his time cooped up in there. He had went and bought a few groceries, but they were mostly snacks. It's hard to make meals without a kitchen. Not to mention, Eren never did have a very long attention-span. It was one of his downfalls, he always felt the need to be on the go.

Thankfully, spending time at the beach was innocent enough. He was sitting on a bench, spacing out when he noticed it in the distance: a fairly large house overlooking the beach. It was like a sitting duck, and he was already plotting it out in his mind. Strike during the day, when the owner would almost certainly be out working. Judging by the size, probably a dentist or a lawyer or something. As long as he was unseen, he could make it back to the beach and blend right in after it was done. Nothing unusual about a person walking around with a backpack at the beach.

It would be a peace of cake. Even better, there was a forest for a backyard. He could sneak in through there, his car wouldn't even need to be close. He hadn't seen a job this easy since-

"Kid, you're freaking out that lady over there."

Eren's eyes snapped into focus at that, realizing there was a bikini-clad young woman sitting on a towel a few yards in front of the house giving him _quite_ the death glare. He coughed loudly and ripped his gaze away, only to find that Rivaille was standing to his side.

"Here, brat, take this. My break's over and I can't finish it anyway." he said, dumping a McDonald's bag into his lap. Eren frowned.

"U-Uh? Sir, you don't-"

"I don't know how much vagabond teens have to eat, but just accept it. It's better than throwing it away." the older man cut him off before he could protest.

"I'm twenty-one." Eren said it automatically, having _thoroughly_ memorized what his fake ID said after the last incident. Rivaille scoffed.

"Yeah, and I'm a 12 year old girl. Just eat the burger and shut up."

Eren was more than confused. He had been to a lot of small towns, sure, but never had the people been so friendly as to give him free meals. Warily, he checked the contents of the bag.

Some fries and a cheeseburger, sure enough.

"What did you expect, a severed hand? Don't answer that." the Police officer sensed Eren's shock. "I don't know for what reason you left home, but it's probably for a good one, so don't look a gift-horse in the mouth and ask questions, brat." he turned to leave, and Eren was at a loss.

"Wait, sir! Er, Rivaille." the dark-haired man turned his head around, looking unamused at being stopped again. Eren cleared his throat. "Thanks."

Rivaille rolled his eyes. "No problem, _Eremin_." he bit out the last part, still clearly unconvinced about the name. Eren watched him leave.

He never would have expected the angry looking police officer to be so kind.

* * *

**A/N**: I swear things will get more interesting (and more Riren based) next chapter. I'm pretty sure this is going to be split into 3 parts, with maybe an epilogue. Chapter 2 should be up fairly soon, since I'm already almost done with it!

Thanks for reading!


	2. The Night

**A/N**: This chapter is really long and has smut. Don't say I didn't warn you!

* * *

It had been a long time since Eren had someone he could call a friend.

And while he wasn't sure that was exactly the word for the short police officer who always seemed to show up, he didn't think it was appropriate to call him a stranger either. In a way, it was like no one in this town was a stranger. It was an atmosphere that made him comfortable and anxious, all at the same time. If he didn't keep his stories straight, he was in trouble, but the laid-back nature of the town was something else.

That police officer was something else too.

The second day he had been here, he made a trip to the gas station, only to find the short officer struggling to reach something on the very top shelf of the drinks section. Repressing a smirk, Eren went over to offer a hand.

"Need some help, sir?" he asked, already reaching up to grab whatever it was Rivaille was reaching for. He froze when he received the dirtiest glare he had ever gotten in his life. "U-Uh..."

"Yeah. Down on all fours, brat."the officer spat. At the bewildered look Eren gave him, Rivaille promptly stomped on his foot.

"Don't question police officers that do nice things for you." he barked. Eren slowly sunk to the ground, shooting a glance to the cashier on the other side of the store. She gave him a bored stare back.

_Was this the norm!?_

The other man climbed onto his back, effectively using him as a boost to grab the soda. When he climbed off, Eren collapsed. He heard a snort from above.

"That floor is disgusting. Get up."

With a groan, he realized the officer was probably right. Eren picked himself up off the ground, only to find that Rivaille had already paid for his stuff and was out the door.

x

The fourth day he was in the town, Rivaille wasn't anywhere in sight.

Which was fine by him, really. Eren just thought it was a little odd. As he skirted the forest, camera in hand, he realized he hadn't seen any other police officers around here.

But almost as if he had said his thoughts aloud, suddenly a hand came and pressed down on his shoulder.

"Oh, you must be the kid that Rivaille's been talking about!"

That voice definitely didn't belong to the male cop. Eren twisted his head around, staring at the the girl who had her hand on his shoulder. Messy brown hair tied up in a ponytail, he froze when he noticed the police uniform. So apparently Rivaille _wasn't_ the only cop around.

The girl didn't wait for him to answer as she beamed at him.. "I'm surprised, normally he doesn't care anything about people passing through." she continued. "You must really be special."

Eren shrugged. This cop seemed even less of a threat than Rivaille. "I just seem him around a lot." he said, not looking at her in the eye. "Are you-?"

"His work partner, Hanji. He takes two days off every week to clean his house, and I take over patrols." she replied before he could completely ask the question, cutting him off. "Oh, don't worry, he's single."

Eren almost choked.

Hanji seemed to find his reaction funny, the corners of her mouth turning upward into a smirk. "I was teasing you, but that was a lot better of a reaction than I thought I'd get..."

"So he takes days off just to clean his house?" Eren asked, trying to change the topic as fast as possible. Dealing in romance wasn't his forte.

"You probably wouldn't guess it, but he's a grade-A neat freak. OCD, probably."

Eren nodded. Somehow, that did seem fitting.

"Anyway, that's not what I've been trying to hunt you down for." Hanji continued. "I'm throwing a party - well, a little get together, and I figured it'd be a good idea to invite you." she read the look on his face and frowned.

"Don't worry, it won't be like you won't know anyone there. I'm making Rivaille go, too. I'm not sure how long you're gonna be here, but you haven't left yet so might as well get to know people, right?" she slapped him on the back with a wink, and Eren almost dropped his camera.

"S...ure." he said, hesitation evident in his voice. Hanji's face lit up.

"Great! I knew you wouldn't let me down. Okay, so, here's how you get to my place..."

Eren watched numbly as she pulled out a piece of paper, scribbling down words he'd be lucky if he could even read with that handwriting. Why had he agreed to go? You don't get close to people when you're a nomad thief. It's common sense, when you were just going to pick up and leave eventually. These people didn't even know his real name.

"Well, see ya later tonight, Er!" Hanji said, thrusting the paper into his hands and taking off. He had to avoid laughing at the nickname. Well, at least it was better than Eremin.

... One party couldn't hurt, right?

x

"Sho you're the guy eff'ryone's been talkin' about."

Eren watched awkwardly as a girl with brown hair pulled up into a ponytail shoves sweets into her mouth while he stood by the snack table. He had arrived early, and so Hanji shoved him towards the only other person there, who happened to be... This girl, who seemed more interested in food than him. He scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, I guess." he said with a shrug. She swallowed, giving him a large grin.

"I'm Sasha." she told him, before grabbing a handful of chips and shoving them in her mouth.

Well, at least she was friendly.

"I'm... Eremin." he was really regretting that name. She nodded.

"Yeah, I know- Oh, Connie, come over here! The new guy's here!" Eren followed her gaze to the door, where a short kid with a buzzcut stood. He grinned and waved, and Eren waved weakly back.

"These cookies are so good!" Sasha said, shoving one into the other boy's mouth as he walked over to the two. He choked for a second, before swallowing and gasping for air.

"Ugh, Sasha, really?" he wheezed, frowning at her once he finally got his voice back. She gave him a pleased look before turning back to Eren.

"Eremin, Connie, Connie, Eremin."

Connie reached out his hand to offer a handshake to Eren, which he accepted. "So what're you doing in a poor excuse for a town like this?"

He wished he knew. Normally, with this many people trying to get close to him, he would have been long gone by now.

"Traveling around, seeing the world. I'm a photographer." he answered smoothly. He always had been good at lying. Connie whistled, looking impressed.

"You look younger than me! How old are you, 18?"

"21."

Connie laughed, but stopped when he saw Eren's face. "Whoa, seriously? You don't look it!"

Eren's eye twitched. Maybe he should start picking a different age if no one was going to believe him.

"Anyway," Connie continued. "Looks like more people are here, so I'm gonna go catch up. You seem like a cool guy, Eremin. Catch you later!"

And sure enough, when Eren turned around there were several more people loitering around. Eren searched faces, but didn't see Rivaille. Was that... Disappointment he felt? Shaking his head, Eren brushed it off.

More time passed, and almost everyone stopped by to talk to him. He'd met more people than he had since he left home. Most of the time he kept to himself when he was out, which worked well for him.

But there was something charming about this little place, about the people in it, and Eren felt himself almost blending in. Everyone was so close and transparent, like the way that Connie hung around Sasha and his crush was so obvious it was almost painful. Ymir and Christa, Reiner and Bertholdt, even people who were almost always together seemed at ease with everyone else.

Eren couldn't even remember when he had felt so natural himself. He found himself laughing at Connie's stupid stories, and even Jean (who he found mildly annoying) seemed to be a good person.

He missed feeling like this.

Eren sipped at the beer Hanji had given him, mildly surprised she handed him a drink so casually when no one else seemed to believe he was legal. He never had been much of a drinker, but it seemed to fit the atmosphere - unfortunately this was only his second and he was already feeling the effects.

Before he could take another drink, the bottle was swiped out of his hands. Confused, Eren turned around only to find that his drink was pressed to Rivaille's lips. He frowned.

"I don't let underage lightweights drink." The officer stated, looking as cold as always. Eren gave him a dirty look.

"I'm not underweight. I mean, shit, underage. Or a lightweight."

Rivaille lifted an eyebrow. "That's why you're swaying."

"I'm not doing that either." he said defensively. "Wait- How long have you been here?"

"Twenty minutes. Probably." Rivaille answered, taking a seat on the couch behind him. Eren followed, staring the man down.

"How many drinks have you had?" he hadn't noticed it before, but the man's breath reeked of alcohol. The officer smirked at him.

"Twice as many as you, and _I_ can stand still." Eren frowned.

"Yeah right. You're more buzzed than I am."

Rivaille clicked his tongue. Setting Eren's bottle of beer to the side of the couch, he stood up and walked over the the cooler. Eren watched curiously as he grabbed as many bottles of beer as he could hold, before walking back over and setting them on the coffee table in front of them.

"Let's put it to the test. Outdrink me and I'll give you 50 bucks."

Eren furrowed his eyebrows. Was he serious? Shouldn't cops have... Morals or something about things like this?

"What's in it for you?"

"The satisfaction of putting a shitty brat in his place."

Shouldn't _he _have morals about situations like this?

"... Deal."

Rivaille smirked at him and twisted the cap off the first beer. Eren gave him a determined look, before opening his own and pressing it to his lips. There was no way the shorter man could out-drink him. Even if he wasn't much of a drinker, he still had the advantage of size, right?

x

_One down_. The two of them had caught some attention, with a person or two gathered around. Eren was too focused to bother to see who all was watching. He was more focused on the way that Rivaille was downing the alcohol like he did it everyday. This might be more of a challenge than he had originally thought, he realized as he opened his second beer. Oh well. He certainly wasn't backing down now.

x

_Two down. Three down. _Eren wasn't about to admit the way that his head had started fogging up, not already. Rivaille seemed unphased - both by the alcohol and the now-large group of people who had come to watch. Some were even taking bets now - most were for Rivaille, but he wasn't discouraged. Even the strongest walls had to show weakness eventually.

x

_Four down._ Eren was so preoccupied with watching Rivaille's lips that he temporarily forgot what he was doing until someone smacked him on the back of the head.

"Come on, kid, I just want to see someone beat this old man's ass."

He thanked Ymir and went back to downing the bottle.

x

_Five down._ The world was kind of swirly, so it could have just been him, but Eren was pretty sure he saw Rivaille falter when he opened up the fifth bottle. He had mostly been focused on Rivaille this entire time - the way that his dark eyes seemed to have a fire in them was pretty hot.

Kind of like his body right now.

Kind of like what he bet the inside of Rivaille's mouth felt if he put his tongue in there.

Eren choked at his own line of thought, and the shorter man sitting next to him raised an eyebrow. He waved it off.

"Wr-Wrong pipe." he coughed, before grabbing the next bottle.

x

_Six down_. He went to reach for number seven and stopped, head spinning. He was kind of surprised he could even think. Eren glanced at Rivaille, and he smirked back at the younger boy.

"Done already?"

Eren wanted to smash his lips against the other man's to shut him up.

"I was done two beers ago." _About the time that I started wondering what you were like in bed_.

Cheers burst out around the couch, and Eren grinned sheepishly. Even if he had lost, this was the most fun he had had in a long time.

After a couple pats on the back for Rivaille and some "Nice tries" for Eren, the crowd around them dispersed and the older man grabbed the front of Eren's shirt, pulling his face closer to Rivaille's.

"Let's get out of here." he breathed. Eren's eyes widened.

"Wha-"

"I saw the way you were looking at me earlier, you horny little shit. I'm drunk, not blind." he snapped, lips far too close to Eren's for comfort. Eren's jaw slacked.

"O-Okay."

x

Eren numbly wondered if he'd even remember this night tomorrow morning, as he was dragged into Rivaille's house. He was so unaware of his location that he didn't even know they were already there until the older man's truck came to an abrupt stop. It was a wonder enough that Rivaille was even sober enough to drive without killing them both.

_Some cop he is_ Eren thought with just a touch of irony as he was pushed against the wall when they were barely inside, Rivaille's mouth covering his own. The kiss was desperate and sloppy, and left Eren gasping for air when they broke apart.

"Shouldn't we take this... To the bed?" he asked between heavy breaths as the police officer moved to his neck, finding the skin there more entertaining. Rivaille grunted.

"I'm not carrying you there, princess." he said sarcastically.

"Fuck it. Couch?"

Instead of a reply, the older man stopped leaning onto Eren and moved toward the living room. Eren followed him, mind in a haze until he was shoved down on the couch, Rivaille straddling him.

He bent down to suck on Eren's neck again and Eren lifted his knee up, grinding it against the other man's crotch. Rivaille paused, sucking in a hot breath against Eren's neck.

"Ngh, Eremin-"

"Eren."

Rivaille lifted his head up, shooting him a weird look. Eren shook his head. "My name's Eren. Not Eremin."

Scowling, the officer lifted his upper body off of Eren, unbuckling the belt on his jeans, too drunk to care enough to press further. Suddenly he paused, staring at the drunken boy below him with suspicion.

"Kid, please tell me you're legal."

"Nineteen." Eren replied, squirming around under Rivaille, desperate to get some friction- any friction. Rivaille let out a relieved sigh.

"21 my ass. At least I won't be charged with statutory rape, though." he murmured, slipping off his jeans and leaving them beside the bed. Working on Eren's pants after, the younger shuddered as the cool air hit his legs.

"Anxious much?" Rivaille asked, eying the bulge in Eren's boxers. Eren gave a half-hearted laugh.

"It's been awhile."

Their shirts promptly followed their pants and undergarments onto the floor before Rivaille bent down to bite Eren's shoulder, hard enough to make him wince and leave red marks where Rivaille's teeth bit into the white flesh. The older man groaned, rocking his hips against the other's and suddenly wishing they _were_ in his bedroom, so at least he'd have some lube to make this easier.

"Lick." he said sharply, pressing two fingers into Eren's mouth. Eren obeyed, hardly aware of anything other than the pressure on his dick and the haze his mind was in. He sucked on the digits until they were more than coated, and Rivaille scoffed at his eagerness.

"If you were that desperate to have something in your mouth, I would have had a better idea." he said, diving down to suck on Eren's lip before the boy could reply. Slipping the first finger inside of Eren, the younger boy made a face at the sudden intrusion, his jaw slacking open. Seeing an opening, Rivaille's mouth covered Eren's as he slipped his tongue in. His other hand reached over to lightly brush against one of Eren's pert nipples, making Eren moan and his hips buck ever-so-slightly.

"U-Ugh, can't you just... Nngh... Put it in already?" Eren choked out between erotic noises. Rivaille gave him an unamused look.

"Not unless you're into serious pain." he breathed, inserting another finger into Eren's ass and stretching. He watched the younger's face carefully, as it looked uncomfortable before twisting again into something more desperate. Leaning down to lick Eren's collarbone, he hissed as two hands moved slowly down his chest, pausing just above his hardened member.

"Who's the desperate one?" Eren asked, voice barely above a whisper. Growling, Rivaille pulled his fingers out and grabbed hold of Eren's wrists, pinning them above his head.

"You're more than ready, brat." he snapped, lining himself up and pushing in slowly despite the roughness in his voice. The younger boy winced as he adjusted to the feeling.

"You.. Are really fucking tight..." Rivaille hissed, gripping Eren's wrists tighter. Eren sucked in a deep breath.

"I... Told you, it's been awhile." he repeated, biting his lower lip when the officer began to move. Eren's hands struggled against Rivaille's grip, and Rivaille released them only to have Eren cling onto his back, nails digging into his flesh.

"Ha... Jesus Christ..." he moaned, and Eren agreed with the unspoken statement. He raked his nails down the man's back, head spinning with alcohol and lust. It wasn't too long after they had found a set pace, rocking back and forth that Eren realized he wasn't going to last much longer.

"R-Rivaille, I'm... Can't, hold on much longer..." he gasped out, nails digging into the other man's back as he hit his prostate at just the right angle. The older man simply nodded, too lost between moans and grunts to be able to give a coherent answer. He smashed his mouth against Eren's as they reached a heated and drunk end together.

* * *

**A/N**: This was the first time I ever wrote smut omg I'm so sorry if it's horrible I really have no idea what I was doing and this chapter wasn't supposed to turn into smut anyway (I think the original plan was just to fade out) but I thought it would make it... better if I actually wrote the scene out...

Probably not considering I proofed it at 6 in the morning with no sleep. (that was horrible by the way because when I wrote the smut for some reason i decided to change tense halfway through and then i had to go back and fix it. if there are any awkward-sounding sentences it's probably left over from that)

I'm really embarrassed and I'm going into hiding now.


	3. The End

Eren was pretty sure he was in hell when he woke up.

Or if it wasn't hell, it was exactly what he had always imagined it would be and maybe Satan should be taking some tips. The more he drifted into consciousness, the more his head was throbbing - his entire body, actually. He was sore all over, barely opening his eyes a crack before closing them shut again. _Why was it so damn bright? _Was he hit by a truck or something? He was going to be sick. He couldn't even breathe, because there was some kind of weight pressing down on his chest...

Opening his eyes again, Eren attempted to focus and block out the overwhelmingly bright light. He looked down and he could barely make out - a black blurry object? No, that was a head full of dark hair. But why was there-?

Oh.

_Oh._

There was a delayed reaction as Eren's pounding head clicked everything into place as he suddenly remembered. The details were blurry, but the main idea was still there and he just _slept with a cop and was pretty sure he told him his real first name and his age what the hell._

Suddenly he was stuck between a very hard decision - throw the man who was still asleep on top of him off and high-tail it out of there as fast as he could, or maybe just go back to sleep and pretend like none of this ever happened, at least for an hour or so more.

The latter was looking a lot more appealing when he suddenly heard a groan from the sleeping mass on his chest, and he froze.

"Wh' the hell..."

"Uh... Good... Morning?"

Rivaille lifted his head and squinted at the younger for a few seconds, as if he was contemplating something, and then clicked his tongue.

"My head hurts." he said, not removing his eyes from the other's face.

"Mine too." Eren sighed, wishing the older male would either stop staring at him or show some kind of expression. He felt like he was being judged. They were still on the couch, which would explain why Rivaille was literally on top of him, but it didn't explain the scrutinizing stare. Before he could comment, though, the older man rolled off of him.

"I'm going to take a shower, and then you are too, and then you're going to help clean up this mess. It smells like sex and teenage hormones in here. Disgusting." he said as he stood up, picking up his clothes from where they were carelessly tossed to last night.

Any protests Eren had died in his throat when he saw the man's naked body again. He blushed and averted his eyes, making Rivaille arch an eyebrow.

"You certainly didn't have a problem looking at me naked last night, Ms. Modesty." he spat, and Eren resisted the urge to roll over and bury himself in the couch cushions and wish he were dead. His eyes snapped back to Rivaille, trailing up and around his neck, looking at all the bitemarks and bruises - Did he really do that?

As if he sensed Eren's train of thought, Rivaille "hmph"'d and walked towards his bathroom. Hearing the sound of the shower turning on, Eren contemplated running for it - he could dart out of here right now. But something was keeping him there.

Grabbing his boxers from the pile of clothes strung out across the floor, Eren pulled them on and left the rest lying there. No point in getting dressed if he was just going to take a shower anyway.

He glanced out the living room window, wishing Rivaille had some blinds or something. A quick glance around revealed that it was a nice house, really. Meticulously clean, with a modern, simple edge to it. It was very fitting to the officer, Eren mused. It had a nice view, too - right over the beach. It probably would have been nicer if there weren't so many people out there all the time. Honestly, for such a small town, Eren swore half the community was constantly out on the beach.

Spotting a vaguely familiar figure sitting a few yards in front of the house, he realized that it was that lady from the first day he was here, when he mistook his checking out the house that was behind her for him checking _her_ out. How ironic, to be looking from the other side-

His thoughts cut off halfway when he realized that he _was_ looking from the other side. He could see the bench where he had sat when Rivaille dropped the food on his lap, the area where he took a couple pictures of the scenery..

He was in the house.

Rivaille's house was _the_ house.

He tried to ignore the knot in his stomach when he realized it. This was good news. Fantastic, even. It wasn't too often you got to see the inside of a house before you hit it. This made everything easier, he could get in and out quicker if he knew where everything was located. A glance around revealed a kitchen to the left of the living room. He could easily come in and grab the silverware later. Rivaille didn't leave a bunch of useless trinkets around, but there were a couple of expensive looking bits of decoration - things on the wall, a vase or two here and there. Easy things to take if he snuck through the forest like his original plan.

He tried to ignore the crushing sensation in his chest. This was for Mikasa. Mikasa. His little sister. He didn't have any attachment to any of the people here - not even Rivaille. Just because he showed him a little kindness, just because he slept with him didn't mean anything. He'd do what he always did, no strings attached, break in and leave. _This was absolutely no different_-

_Whump_! Eren's train of thought was cut short by a swift kick to his ass, knocking him onto the ground and making him cry out in pain.

"Stop perving on women on the beach and get in the shower, brat!"

x

After much scrubbing (and wincing), Eren was finally dismissed from the officer's house. 4 painkillers and a nap later, he was already back on the beach, sitting on that same bench he always seemed to be drawn to.

He had it all planned out. It was almost a no-brainer, like it had been handed to him on a silver-platter. He'd done it a million times before, and was never caught, so it wasn't like he was scared...

Then why was he so hesitant?

Shoving his face in his hands, Eren rested his elbows on his knees and closed his eyes. This was pathetic.

"Oh, have a really bad hangover?"

Eren jerked up at the somewhat-familiar voice, turning his head in the direction it came from. A short blonde girl that he recognized just barely from the party last night - what was her name, Petricia? Patty?

Sensing his confusion, she smiled and sat down next to him. "Sorry, I didn't get to introduce myself very well last night I guess. I'm Petra. You're Eremin, right?"

He nodded dumbly, wondering what the girl could want with him. She gave him a meek smile.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you. You just looked like you were really struggling with something, so..." she trailed off, and Eren glanced at her. Was _everyone_ this nice here?

"... Yeah, I guess I am." he said, deciding that there was no problem in confiding in her as long as he was vague. It wasn't like she'd ever seen him again after everything was said and done, anyway.

She nodded. "Is it about officer Rivaille?" Eren gave her a semi-surprised look, and she smiled sheepishly. "Well, I mean, you two did leave the party together yesterday, and... I know how he can be sometimes, but he's normally very wary of outsiders. You must be really special."

Eren vaguely remembered that other officer - Hanji - saying something similar. He frowned. "You're not the first person to say that..." he mumbled, mostly to himself, but she giggled anyway.

"Because it's true. He's not an easy person to get along with." she paused for a moment, shifting her gaze back out to the sea. "I think... Well, we gossip a lot in this little town, and I'm sure that most everyone thinks that he just feels bad for you. But... There's a difference, in feeling _bad_ for someone and _feeling_ for someone." she leaned in a little bit closer, lowering her voice.

"Rivaille was... Not the best teenager. He was rowdy, and ran away from home a lot. He got into a lot of bad situations, and I don't know exactly what went down but... " her voice trailed off. Eren's eyes widened in surprise. Rivaille, a delinquent? _That_ was a thought.

"Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that he doesn't pity you, or anything like that. The things he does aren't because he feels bad or something, but probably because he... Genuinely likes you. Which is really something special, because he doesn't let himself get close to many."

Eren couldn't resist asking. "Why not?"

She gave him a bittersweet smile this time. "To be honest, I'm not really sure. I have my guesses but... He changed a lot when he finally came back after his rough teen years. I mean, he was always kind of grumpy, but when he came back - he was probably about your age, actually - he was a little more closed off. He makes for an excellent intimidating officer, but I think he scares off anyone who shows an interest in him. Which is why you," she paused again, eyes brightening up. "Are so important to him."

"I-Important?" that took Eren off guard, and Petra laughed.

"It's not too often he opens up. You should feel privileged!" she suddenly glanced at the watch on her wrist, frowning. "Aw, I've gotta go. I hope you feel better Eremin!"

"Ah, bye."

He watched her as she got up from the bench, thinking about what she had told him.

_Important?_ He would hardly call Rivaille "open" with him. He wasn't sure if his chat with the girl even helped at all. Maybe made him more confused. This entire town was a bad idea - it screwed up his mind, his schedule, his life. He never questioned what he did before, and suddenly this place had him wondering "what-if's".

_What if_ he was a normal person who didn't have to lie about their identity?

_What if_ Rivaille was opening up to him?

_What if_ he could actually get close to people?

_What if_ he could fall in love and have a normal life?

That final thought infuriated Eren to no end. He was tired of thinking. With a final deep sigh he picked himself up off the bench and stomped towards his car, heading toward the hotel. He knew without a doubt what would calm him down. Busting through the door of his room, he grabbed the cheap prepaid cellphone and dialed the number he had memorized by heart.

It took no more than three rings before it was picked up.

x

_"Hey mom."_

_"Oh, Eren?"_

He emptied out his backpack, not caring where the remaining things fell. He was leaving. He was getting out of here.

He wished he could get that phonecall out of his head.

_"Long time no talk, huh?"_

_"Eren! How have you been? Where are you? Are you well? What time is it there? Have you been eating right? Are you safe?"_

_"I'm a long ways away. At a place with a beach! I'm fine, mom, I'm fine. It's getting close to six here - hey, how are you? How's Mikasa?"_

He had no idea where to go. But he had something he had to take care of first.

_"Me and your father are fine."_

_"And Mikasa?"_

_"..."_

_"Mom? How's Mikasa?"_

_"... Ahem."_

_"Mom, let me talk to Mikasa."_

He had lost sight of himself when he had come to this town. It had caused nothing but problems. He lost his original goal. He got too swept up in himself.

He'd fix that now though.

_"Mikasa's asleep."_

_"What's wrong with her? ... Mom. What's wrong with Mikasa?"_

_"She... I didn't want to worry you Eren, please don't be upset. She was complaining about pain, so we took her back to the doctor's the other day and... Th-the CAT scan lit up."_

The original plan was to wait until day to sneak in, when he was sure Rivaille would be out, but this was fine. As long as he didn't wake the other male, it'd be fine. He'd sell it all. He'd sell everything in that house to help her. He'd sell everything he had and everything everyone else had too.

Was that really what he was going to do?

Better not to focus on it.

_"She'll have to go through more chemo, but the doctors seem positive, so there's always-"_

_"Why!?"_

_"Eren-"_

_"Why Mikasa? Why more chemo? She's only a kid- She's only a kid! What did she do to deserve this?"_

He couldn't do anything for her. 7 years old and dying and he was off, partying and staying at the beach.

10PM. Of _course_ Rivaille wouldn't lock his doors, Eren thought bitterly, as he approached the house. How did he even get here? The drive was a blur.

_"Eren, please calm down-"_

His backpack was heavy as he shoved more and more silverware into it. He was moving automatically now, turning his brain off and letting his feet carry them as they felt. The house was different now, in the dark, and he liked it. It fit his mood - the way the moon still shone in through the tinted windows and caused the furniture to give off long shadows. He _liked_ it. He wanted more of that dark eeriness.

_"I don't understand!"_

_"- I'm sure it'll be okay-"_

_"Like hell it will be!"_

The bag made a loud noise as it crashed to the ground, and he found himself not caring. He hoped he got caught. He hoped Rivaille came down and saw him for what he was, what he _truly_ was inside. The criminal who cared about nothing but himself.

Eren reached to pick up one of the decorative pots, but it slipped and split into pieces on the ground. He paused, waiting for Rivaille to come marching down the stairs at any second. Was he not home?

Gritting his teeth, Eren shoved the thought out of his mind. Who cared? It wasn't his concern. Whether he came down or not. Maybe he liked getting his house robbed.

_"Eren, be rational, please-"_

He reached down and pushed the pieces of the vase into his bag, ignoring the cuts he was giving himself as he handled the sharp edges. One gashed him particularly good, right in the center of his palm, and blood trickled down his middle finger and onto the floor.

That felt surprisingly good, watching it fall and shatter to the floor like that.

_"..."_

He picked up his bag and dragged it over to the glass coffee table, eying the couch he had been laid out on just earlier today. That seemed like a million years ago.

_"I gotta go. Tell Mikasa I called."_

In one final swing, he crashed the bag full of silverware and broken vase shards into the center of the table, watching as it shattered and sprayed small pieces of glass all over the floor. His chest heaved and his hands stung, the bag strap digging into the cut in his palm.

"Finished, brat?"

Eren tightened the grip on his bag, ignoring the sharp pain it shot down his arm. He slowly turned around to see Rivaille standing against the wall by the door, watching him with an unamused expression. Uncrossing his arms, he made his way towards Eren in the center of the room.

"Don't touch me." Eren snapped. The older man stopped a few inches from him, staring at him. Eren glared back.

"Aren't you going to yell at me? Arrest me? Attack me?" his green eyes burned into Rivaille's lifeless ones. "Are you going to do anything!?"

"You're crying."

Instinctively, Eren's hand went up to touch his cheek. Sure enough, just as the older man had said, there was a wetness streaming down them. His face twisted into a scowl. He lifted the bag to throw it at him, at _him_ because _he_ was the reason for everything that was happening and everything that was wrong right now. With a swift movement, Rivaille grabbed the bag and ripped it out of Eren's bleeding hand, tossing it to the side and twisting Eren's hand behind his back.

"Calm down-"

Eren twisted his head to the side as he was shoved against the couch, attempting to spit in Rivaille's face and missing only by a few centimeters. He struggled under Rivaille, but Rivaille had him pinned down from behind.

This was exactly what he wanted. Eren released a choked laugh, muffled by the leather of the sofa.

"Surprised? This is what I am. A sneaky, slimy, _monster_."

Rivaille said nothing, and Eren went limp under him. When the older man still didn't release him, he went on;

"I'm Eren Jaeger. I've probably robbed 30 different houses in 30 different places. Aren't you going to arrest me? Finally get rid of a worthless scum-"

Rivaille grabbed both of the younger boy's hands and flipped him around, pinning them above his head. He brought his face a few inches from the other's, close enough that Eren could feel his hot breath on his face.

"Stop the fucking pity party." he growled. Eren stared at him back with watery eyes. "You and I both know you're not worthless scum. What are you fighting for, Jaeger?"

"... What?" Eren couldn't even recognize his own voice anymore.

Rivaille glared at him, squeezing his wrists tighter. Eren winced. "Don't play coy. You're not a thief just because you feel like it. _What are you fighting for?_"

Eren opened his mouth, shut it again, and then opened it once more. All of the fight went out of him, and he was left dumfounded by the officer's question. Rivaille only stared.

"My... Sister." Eren finally choked out. Rivaille loosened his grip. "My sister. S-She's my half-sister, actually. 7 years old. She had - no, she has - leukemia. She fought it off once, I thought it was over with, but we still had bills to pay and so I started stealing." The words were flowing out of his mouth faster than he could stop them.

The harder outer shell had been broken, and all that was left was raw emotion.

"It was simple stuff at first, just go over to a friend's place and take their video games and sell them off. Enough to pay for groceries for awhile, no one noticed a few things missing here or there. But it escalated pretty fast. Faster than I knew what to do - so I left, because things were getting suspicious and I didn't want to be around my family for the blame to get put on them. They don't need to be affected.

"But it's different when you're out places you don't know, because you can't just go over to a friend's and take the stuff they won't notice. You have to be craftier. I figured out that the best time to sneak into someone's house is when they're at work. But everyone locks their doors in the city, so I ended up setting off quite a few alarms... Response time for alarm companies are really terrible, though, so I could pick up whatever I was after and be out of there. I never went into houses where it looked like poor people lived - only rich ones, I swear. I only took things that I didn't think they'd miss too. I'd sell all the stuff at pawn shops, get out of town and send the money to mom and dad."

Eren stared up at Rivaille, who was still hovering over him, though his hands weren't being pinned anymore. He'd never told anyone that. It was relieving in a way. It almost made him want to smile.

Almost.

Rivaille's expression didn't change. "So," he started, "What exactly was running away supposed to do for your sister?"

Eren avoided Rivaille's gaze. "I don't know what you mean."

"You didn't come here to steal. You came here to wreck my house, you little shit. You wanted me to throw you in the slammer, didn't you? Or worse. What would that do for your sister? For your family?"

Eren snapped his eyes back to Rivaille, his glare hardening again. "I can't do anything for her anyway. She's dying. She has leukemia. The CAT scan lit up all over, she gets to go through hell once again. I can't even _be there_ for her because I'm her piece of shit criminal brother."

Rivaille leaned in closer, so close their noses were almost touching. "If that's how you think, you really are a piece of shit. Where the fuck are your balls, Jaeger? What about the rest of your family? She's not dead yet, is she? Your 7 year old sister has more fight in her than you."

Every response Eren could think of got caught in his throat.

"What do I do then? Go back to being on the run?"

"Stay here." Rivaille said it with a straight face, and Eren had to wonder where exactly "here" was.

"I-I can't live in the hotel forever."

"_Here_."

And then he closed the space between their faces, pressing their lips together once again.

* * *

**A/N**: One more chapter left! It'll wrap everything up.

Thank you all so much for all the feedback and follows, you don't know how much it makes me smile to see all your comments!


	4. The Epilogue

**A/N**: This final chapter is dedicated to **Jerritan96** and **purplenurpless**, because without them this chapter would have taken a lot longer (and would have been a lot worse). Thanks for the inspiration to keep going and the confidence boost, guys!

* * *

"Get up, brat, and go get ready. It's your turn to be on patrol duty. I have to clean up the mess you made in my house."

Eren groaned as Rivaille shook him awake, opening his eyes a crack to see the older man glaring at him. He pulled the covers over his head, earning a _tch_ from the other officer.

"It's like... 5am. Give me five more minutes... Or thirty..." Eren grumbled, only to have the covers ripped off of his body completely. He let out a whine, curling up to try and make up for the lack of warmth. Rivaille growled this time, grabbing the back of Eren's white tee and dragging him off the bed.

The younger toppled to the floor with a loud thump, jolted into full consciousness by impact of his head hitting the hard wood floor. _Now_ he really was awake. He hissed in pain as he rubbed the back of his head, glaring at Rivaille's back as he proceeded to strip the sheets off the bed.

"Love you too..." he said, voice dripping with sarcasm as he frowned. Rivaille froze, before wadding up the dirty sheets and chucking it at the taller male. It took Eren off guard, knocking him backwards again. Rivaille walked past him as he finally stood up, taking the sheets from the younger male's hands.

"Go take a shower and get dressed. Unless you want to help clean?" Rivaille asked him with a raised eyebrow. That last part of that sentence was just_ laced_ with venom. Eren shook his head, paling at the thought. He did that once. _Never again_.

"Alright, alright, I'll go. But today isn't your day off, why are you having me cover for you?" this earned him another unamused look, only confusing Eren even more. Sure, the house wasn't as sparkling clean as it was before he started living here, but it wasn't like it was a pig-sty. Cleaning day couldn't wait until the normal two more days?

After a few more seconds of confused silence, Rivaille sighed. "I hope your sister is more intelligent than you."

Eren's eyes widened in comprehension as it clicked together.

"Mikasa's coming today!"

"Good. Now get the hell out of the house before I throw you in the washing machine with these bed sheets."

x

Eren thrummed his fingers against the uncomfortable plastic chair in the airport as he watched out the glass pane nervously. It had been 3 minutes since it was supposed to land, and there was absolutely no sight of Mikasa's plane. Rivaille watched dully as Eren continued to smack his fingers against the plastic over and over, making an obnoxious thump each time one of the digits hit the chair.

Finally he covered the other's hand with his own, making Eren jump and look at him in surprise. Rivaille scowled at him.

"Enough already." he said, his tone just a little bit softer than normal. "It's been 3 minutes. Flights run late all the time. And stop squirming around so much, unless you just popped a boner and you're trying to cover it up?"

Eren blushed, shaking his head and sinking down in his seat. Of course Rivaille was right. But the flight wasn't the only thing that was on his mind.

He hadn't seen his kid sister in close to 2 years. It had been 5 months since the incident - since Mikasa's relapse with cancer. He smiled inwardly to himself. Rivaille was probably right when he said that Mikasa had a stronger will to live than Eren did. Mikasa probably had a stronger will to live than anyone he knew, period.

Not that she was completely better, he knew, but they had decided to do purely radiotherapy this time - and she had received it well, making a rapid recovery.

Not 100%, but he was proud anyway.

Another glance to the clock. 5 minutes now. He had had enough. Jerking up in his seat, he flung out his arms with a stretch.

"I'm gonna-" _Take a walk_. The unsaid words died on his tongue as he knocked Rivaille's cup of coffee out of the man's hand with his jerky movement, flinging it across the tiled airport floor.

Oh _shit_.

Rivaille's face darkened.

"Uh- I'll clean it up, I swear! Give me one second!" Eren jumped up, looking mortified. Before Rivaille even had time to say anything, Eren had spun around on his heel and was making a beeline for the men's bathroom. The older officer sighed, turning back toward the window.

Oh-

When did that plane get there?

He sat up in his seat, scanning the area. It had already unloaded? But that meant that...

Directly in front of him he spotted a small figure with dark hair, tucked into a red scarf with a long, oversized-looking coat. She was stopped in the middle of a crowd of people, a small suitcase on wheels behind her, staring at him.

He stared back.

The grip on her luggage tightened, and she took a few steps forward, never breaking eye-contact.

Rivaille's deadpan facial expression didn't change at all.

This continued as she slowly took more steps forward, the atmosphere growing more and more tense with every inch. People were now giving the two of them odd looks, sensing the situation - she had a fierce look in her eyes that could only rival Rivaille's dull ones.

The young girl was a few feet away from Rivaille by the time Eren returned, still looking apologetic.

"I'm so sorry, here, I even got you a new-" his voice cut off as he followed Rivaille's stare to the little girl in front of the two men.

"Mikasa!"

Hearing her name, she broke away from Rivaille to meet Eren's gaze instead. Eyes lighting up with excitement now, she rushed over to wrap her arms around his waist.

The paper towels and new cup of coffee forgotten as he placed them on the ground, he wrapped his arms around the younger girl's frame, lifting her up and spinning her around.

"Mikasa! Long time no see!" he said, laughing as she nuzzled her face into his neck. "Come on, come on. How have you been?"

She inhaled deeply, still glaring at Rivaille from over Eren's shoulder. Finally, she spoke.

"Fine."

Eren stroked her hair, amazed to see how long it had gotten. Finally, with one last squeeze he set her back down on the ground. "Did you already meet Rivaille?"

She stared at the older man with an unamused expression.

"No."

"O-Oh." he said, almost taken aback by her blunt answer. He sighed. "This is Rivaille. I live with him. Rivaille, this is my sister Mikasa."

Mikasa said nothing. Rivaille looked up at Eren from where he was still seated, one leg crossed over the other.

"No shit."

Eren frowned. "Anyway," he started, "Let's get out of here. I'll carry your bag, Mikasa." he walked over to the forgotten luggage, picking it up with relative ease. She really had packed light. "Let me just... Rivaille, do you have my phone?"

A frown was plastered on his face as he fished through his pockets. Rivaille sighed.

"Check the bathroom?"

A look of realization dawned over Eren. "Oh! Sorry guys, I'll be right back!" he said, sprinting off towards the restroom once again. Rivaille rolled his eyes, turning back towards Mikasa.

"Cat got your tongue, brat?"

She narrowed her eyes threateningly, taking a few more steps toward the older man.

"You smell like brother."

Rivaille's eyebrows raised so high they were almost one with his hairline. At first he thought that the girl was just shy, but it looked like she had a bold side to her. He coughed into his hand to avoid smiling, although it _was_ tempting to provoke her more...

"Is that so."

Her lips pursed together, but before she could say anything else she was scooped up and hoisted onto someone's back.

"Okay! Back home we go!" Eren said, phone in hand and child on back as he took off for the exit. Rivaille sighed, staring at the small suitcase they had left behind.

It was going to be a long week.

x

By the time they got out of the airport and back in town, the sun was almost setting. Mikasa sat in the middle of Rivaille and Eren in the front seat of the older man's truck, looking out the window curiously.

"This is where you live?"

Eren nodded. "Yeah. Pretty different from the city, huh?"

She nuzzled into the scarf around her neck, not bothering to respond. The truck pulled into the driveway of Rivaille's house and the three of them climbed out, Mikasa with a little bit of help from her older brother.

Tugging her along, Eren didn't miss the way Mikasa's eyes widened once she saw the inside of the house. He grinned at her. "Nice place, right?"

Rivaille turned away from the two and headed toward the kitchen. "I'm starving. You brats want me to make something?"

"I'm not sure..." Eren let his voice trail off as he eyed the younger girl. Mom and dad had mentioned she might not have much of an appetite. She frowned.

"I'm fine. I haven't eaten so I'm hungry."

Eren's eyes lit up. "Yeah, just make whatever - Actually, throw that frozen pizza in the oven!" he called back. "I'm gonna help Mikasa get situated in the spare room, and then we'll both come down."

Hearing a grunt in reply, Eren continued down the hallway to the guest room. Setting the suitcase down next to the bed, he gave a backwards glance to make sure Mikasa was still following him.

"Okay! This is it. Me and Rivaille sleep in that room right across the hall, and the bathroom is the next door down - Are you sure that this is enough stuff for a week? Because it's really light."

She sighed as he stared at the suitcase with a concerned face. "I'm fine." Moving towards the bed, she unwrapped the scarf from around her neck and laid it next to the pillow. "Your house is really clean."

"Ah, yeah, Rivaille's a huge clean freak."

"I see."

Eren frowned at her. "What's wrong with you? You've been really quiet all this time, I thought you'd be more happy to see me." he looked defeated, and Mikasa's face switched from unamused to surprised.

"I-" she frowned, face softening. "I just.. Haven't seen you in a long time, and I missed you, but now everything is about that _other_ guy, and..." she trailed off, suddenly looking ashamed. As if something occurred to him, Eren's mouth was formed into an almost-comical "o". He dropped down to his knees, meeting eye-level with Mikasa, and pulled her into a tight hug.

Wrapping his arms around her smaller body, his eyebrows furrowed. "I missed you too. So much that it hurt. But," he pulled away, grabbing her shoulders and looking her directly in the eye. "Rivaille isn't a replacement for you, okay?" he pecked her forehead. "Is that all?"

She looked off to the side. "I'm worried about you. That guy is suspicious."

Eren had to hold in a laugh at her comment. He nodded in understanding - it was only a few months ago that he would have completely agreed with that statement. He placed a hand on top of her head, giving a couple pats just for good measure.

"Mikasa, I haven't been as happy as I am right now since I lived with you and Mom and Dad. 'That man' gave me a job, you know?" he pulled her into another hug. "I wouldn't be able to see him if it weren't for you. You shouldn't worry about me, it's my job to worry about you. _I'm_ the big brother."

"Yeah, but you're an idiot."

Eren _tsk'd_, faking a pained expression. "Your words wound me! But it's okay. I can still do this no matter how dumb I am." And with one smooth movement he scooped the girl into his arms, carrying her bridal style.

"To the kitchen!" he said, taking off down the hallway and skidding to a halt by the kitchen entrance. Rivaille turned around, eyebrow raised when he saw Mikasa's face.

"I didn't think sibling reunions usually involved traumatizing your sister."

And indeed, Mikasa had a wide-eyed look as she wrapped her arms around her brothers neck, clinging to the back of his shirt for dear life. Eren scoffed.

"I wasn't gonna drop you!" he said, setting her on a chair and pushing it in towards the table. She relaxed, looking thankful to be able to touch the ground again. He gave her an unamused look and turned toward Rivaille.

"Is it almost done?"

"Get the paper plates, brat. Unless you want to be doing dishes later."

"I'll pass." he replied, reaching for the paper plates stored in the cabinet as Rivaille pulled the pizza out of the oven. The older man gave the greasy food a look of disgust - but he was tired, and so was Eren, so cooking something less disgusting and messy could wait another day.

Once the pizza was served onto each paper plate and all 3 of them were seated at the table, Eren dug in. Biting into the pizza before it had time to cool, tears formed in his eyes as the cheese seared his tongue.

"Owth, ow, owwth..." he swore under his breath, and Rivaille rolled his eyes.

"Show some self-restraint." he grumbled, cutting up pieces of the pizza with a knife and fork. Eren frowned.

"I wath hungry, okay?" he stuck his tongue out in an attempt to look at the damage. Rivaille scowled at the scene, brows furrowing in disgust.

"You look like a dog. Put your tongue back in your mouth."

"It hurths though! Hey, can you thee anything-"

"Don't come over here with your tongue hanging out like that when I'm trying to eat!"

Mikasa watched from the other side of the table as the two men bickered, chewing idly on her slice of pizza. Finally, after much deliberation, she swallowed her piece of pizza and interrupted their squabble.

"Hey."

Her voice was quiet but loud enough to get both of them to stop and look at her. She locked eyes with Rivaille.

"Do you love my brother?"

The air around them seemed to still as Rivaille pursed his lips, leaving the question unanswered. After a few seconds of silence Eren coughed, desperate to clear the tense atmosphere.

"It's getting pretty late, so I think I'm gonna head to bed after I finish. Mikasa, I'll tuck you in too."

She stared back down at her plate without another word.

x

Light filtered in through the pristine window as there was a shuffling sound in the room. Rivaille cracked an eye open to see Eren shrugging on his police uniform.

"What're you doing?" he asked, groggy. It was a rare sight for Eren to get up before him, and even rarer to see him actually get ready without having to be told. Eren turned around, giving him a grin when he saw the older man was awake.

"I'm taking over your shift today." he answered. Rivaille blinked.

"Why?" he propped himself up, squinting against the harsh morning light coming in through the window. Eren gave him a sly smile, and he felt his heart squeeze. _Stupid_.

"Because you need to spend some time with Mikasa." he said, tightening his belt. Rivaille groaned.

"When did I agree to babysitting?" he asked, and Eren frowned at him.

"It's not babysitting. It's quality bonding time."

Flopping back onto the pillow, Rivaille stared up at the ceiling. He knew that Eren had a certain stubbornness about him, and there was no way he was getting out of this one. He'd probably had this planned all along.

Lifting his head up again to sneak another glance at Eren, he realized the younger man was staring at him. He arched a brow.

"Um," Eren started, "The question that Mikasa asked last night..." He trailed off, looking embarrassed, before quickly waving it off. "Never mind! Take her someplace cool, okay? Don't sit around the house. Show her around."

"What's around here that she'd want to see?" Rivaille questioned. Eren shrugged.

"Take her into the city and go shopping then. Okay, I'm headed off! Mikasa's already up. See you later!"

And then he was gone. Rivaille stayed in bed for a few minutes longer, pinching the bridge of his nose. Clearly there were bigger issues than having to spend the day with a seven-year old.

Throwing on some clothes, he shuffled toward the spare room where Mikasa was sure to be. Unsurprisingly that was where he found her, sitting on the bed and scribbling something in a notebook. He coughed loudly, catching her attention.

"Kid. We're leaving in five minutes."

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he gave her a blank stare. "I didn't say I'd go anywhere with you."

Rivaille shrugged. "Alright, I'm leaving in five minutes, and you're welcome to stay here but Eren wanted-"

"Fine." she flipped the book shut, tossing it into the open suitcase. Rivaille smirked to himself. Predictable.

She stalked past him, headed toward the front door. He followed behind her, pulling the door shut as they exited the house and giving her a boost to climb into Rivaille's truck.

The drive started out mostly silent, with Mikasa staring out the window and Rivaille watching the road and fiddling with the radio. She looked outside in semi-amazement at all the trees- in the city there was nothing like it, especially not growing so randomly. Finally, once she grew tired of staring idly at the various bare trees, she turned toward the older man.

"... Where are we going?"

He responded without taking his eyes off the road. "We're headed into the nearest city. To go to the mall."

She tilted her head to the side, letting curiosity overtake her aloof personality. "You don't seem like the shopping type." Rivaille let out a small laugh.

"And you don't seem the type to judge someone's hobbies, but I guess we've all got our vices." he replied, a small smirk playing on his lips. He had to admit, despite her clear dislike for him, he liked the girl. She had wit for her age, and a realistic view on things. Being around her it was easy to forget she was only seven; he wondered to himself if that was just her or if being that sickly tended to do that to a person.

She didn't seem to have a comeback for this, and sat quietly again, staring out the window. But soon the trees turned into grey buildings, and she ended up asking the inevitable question-

"Are we there yet?"

He wasn't one for long car rides either, but thankfully the ride to the city was only about 20 minutes. Rivaille gave a nod.

"As soon as we turn this corner."

x

He'd never seen a kid so interested in knives before.

"I can't let you get a pocket knife. For one, I'm a police officer and Policemen usually don't encourage small children to walk around with knives. For two, you might actually stab me with it so I'm not taking my chances."

Looking put-out, Mikasa placed the knife back where she found it.

x

"What's with that red scarf thing you always carry around?"

Almost instinctively, the young girl tugged on her scarf at the question. Sitting at the mall foodcourt, Mikasa took another bite of her icecream cone and looked to the side.

"My brother gave it to me."

Rivaille gave it a long glance, noting it did look rather worn out. It was no wonder; the girl wore it all the time.

"Eren?"

A nod.

"Before he left?"

Another nod.

He leaned back in his seat, watching Mikasa carefully. She was fiddling with the end of the scarf now, having finished the ice-cream cone and staring back at him with a bored look. Finally, he leaned forward again, his gray eyes locking with her brown ones.

"Do you hate me?" It was a blunt question, and her eyes flickered when he asked it. Mikasa furrowed her eyebrows, as if she was contemplating, and then shook her head.

"No," she paused for a moment, before continuing. "I thought you were suspicious at first. But... Eren told me that I wouldn't even be able to see him if it weren't for you." she glanced downwards, breaking away from Rivaille's gaze.

"Besides, today was... Fun. Kinda."

Rivaille couldn't hide his smirk. He stood up from the table, making a motion for Mikasa to follow. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sudden movement, hopping down from the chair and catching up to the older man as he took off.

"Where are we going?" she asked, finding it hard to keep up with Rivaille's quick steps. He hadn't been this enthusiastic the entire day. He grinned just slightly to himself, the edges of his mouth quirking upwards.

"One last stop."

x

"I don't get it." the young girl said honestly, standing next to Rivaille and staring into the glass case. Rings and necklaces and other shiny pieces of jewelry made of gold and silver were spread out evenly, displayed in a way that the light hit everything just right and it was almost _painful_ to look at.

"I'm asking you to pick a ring, brat." he exhaled sharply. "Just tell me which one you like."

"For who?" she asked, eying a small ring with a ruby in the center behind the glass. She never was a big fan of jewelry, but the way the red stone sparkled caught her attention.

Following Mikasa's line of sight to the ring, Rivaille pointed to the piece of jewelry.

"That one." he said, waiting for the man behind the counter to hand over the silver band. He held it up, examining it, before turning back to the dark-haired girl.

"Give me your hand." he demanded, sighing when he saw the girl hesitate. "What do you think I'm going to do, cut off your finger? Just let me see it."

Slowly, she lifted her hand up. He grabbed her hand, slipping the ring on, before dropping down on one knee. Her eyes widened in confusion, but before she could say anything he cut her off.

"You asked me last night if I loved Eren, and this is my way of answering. People can talk a lot of talk and say those 3 words all they want, but I'd rather _show_. You've known him longer than I have, and you probably aren't aware of it but he thinks the world of you.

"I'm no sappy, sentimental person but your brother doesn't want to you to think that you're locked out of his heart just because I'm here. I'm not replacing you and that's what that ring is supposed to represent. What I'm asking here isn't for you to _give_ him to me, but if you'd let me join your family and marry Eren. I promise, Mikasa, that I will make him happy."

The young girl stared at him, mouth slightly agape, before she realized that her vision was swimming from tears threatening to overflow. Swallowing roughly, she gave Rivaille a serious look.

"... Promise to keep him out of trouble?"

"I'll keep him in line. You have my word."

She bit her lip, staying silent for a moment, before sucking in a deep breath.

"Are you sure? He's kind of dumb, and he does stupid things all the time and he never thinks before he speaks or acts."

He had to hold back a chuckle at the girl's observation. "If I've dealt with him this long I can probably handle him for the rest of our lives."

"... I wanna be in the wedding."

Rivaille released her hand, setting his palm on top of her head. "Deal. But first, I need your help..."

x

"M-Mikasa, it's_ freezing_ out." Eren chattered as he walked along the edge of the beach, dragging a bit behind his younger sister. She turned around to glare at him.

"I want to see the ocean before I go back."

Eren sighed, exasperated. "B-But can't you see it from inside the h-house? Do we h-have to be outside for this?" he asked, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. Mikasa silenced him by giving him a dirty look, moving towards the bench that faced the sea. Winter gave the beach an almost washed-out color, making the bright blue of the ocean turn a darker shade and the overcast clouds seemed to change the atmosphere completely.

Pouting, Eren sat down next to her on the bench, still shivering. She tucked her nose into her scarf, thinking that Rivaille better show up soon, because she was about to shove him off this bench.

"Are you sure you should be out here though? I mean, your condition..." he whined again, and she sighed. If Rivaille didn't hurry up-

But just as she was thinking that, a McDonald's bag landed square in Eren's lap. He looked up in confusion, to see Rivaille standing to the side. Eren gave him a confused look.

"Wha-"

"I'm not sure how much a bunch of freezing brats have to eat, but just accept it." he cut the younger off, moving in front of him. Eren looked down at the bag, frowning.

"Well, we could at least go back ho-" he cut off when he caught a glance of Mikasa, her eyes flashing menacingly. "-Or stay here. That's fine." he finished, quickly opening up the bag. His eyebrows knit together in confusion at the small black box sitting at the bottom. Curiously, he lifted it out-

And his eyes went wide. There was no way this was what it looked like. Just to confirm, he flipped the small velvet box open-

Even in his shock, he didn't miss Rivaille dropping to one knee in front of him. Taking a deep breath, the older man finally spoke.

"When I met you you were a lying weasel, and it's probably a good thing because I don't think I'd ever want to marry anyone with the name of Eremin, cheeky brat. I could tell you that I love you, but anyone could say that, so instead I'm offering to take care of you for the rest of your life. Eren, will you marry me?"

Eren looked from the ring in his hands, to Rivaille, and finally to Mikasa. Her expression was unreadable as always, with her scarf wrapped around her, but he could have sworn there was a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"... Were you part of this?" he directed the question at the girl, and she only gave him a large shrug, smirking under the scarf. Rivaille sighed sharply.

"Hurry up and answer, brat, before we both freeze our balls off."

Eren grinned at him, pulling the ring out of the box and sliding it onto his ring finger. He studied Rivaille for a second, before standing up from the bench and sucking in a deep breath. He'd probably pay for this later, but-

Grabbing onto his shirt, he pulled Rivaille up from the ground, bending down to reach him the rest of the way and press their lips together. Taken off guard at first, Rivaille finally pressed back into the kiss, hands snaking their way into Eren's hair. He slid his hands down to the small of Rivaille's back, bringing him in closer.

He wasn't sure how long it had been when a loud "Ah-_hem_" was heard from Mikasa's direction on the bench. Pulling away, Eren laughed at her deadpan face. His eyes flickered back to Rivaille's, who was a mix of breathless from the kiss and impatient for an answer. Eren smiled.

"That's a yes, by the way."

x

_You are cordially invited_

_to share in Rivaille and Eren's Wedding Ceremony on_

_March 18th, 3:00PM,_

_At the beach in front of Rivaille's big ass house_

x

* * *

**A/N**: Wow who let Jean write the invitations

THAT ASIDE WOW THIS IS THE FIRST MULTICHAPTER FIC I'VE EVER COMPLETELY FINISHED this chapter was really long and also really hard to write because how in the world do you write child Mikasa and the way that Eren and Rivaille would act around a child Mikasa, I just don't know. I guess I can just use that ever-golden excuse "WELL RIVAILLE HAS A SOFT SIDE TOO!"

But anyway wow, if you actually read all 4 chapters you just made me incredibly happy and I love you a lot. _Thank all of you for reading_!


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